Sports participation moderates the risk of family-specific negative life events on alcohol use among adolescents: Evidence from the longitudinal MyLife study.

Negative life events (NLE) have been associated with increased alcohol use (AU) during adolescence. However, whether this risk association may be modified by leisure activities such as sports participation (SP) remains poorly understood. This study examined whether accumulated family-specific NLE in particular were associated with greater AU, and if so, whether SP moderated this association to reduce AU among high-NLE adolescents. We examined five annual assessments from a nationwide cohort of 3,422 Norwegian adolescents (13-15 year-olds; 55.3 % girls at baseline) who participated in the MyLife study. At each assessment, adolescents reported their AU on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise (AUDIT-C), the number of family-specific NLE in the past 12 months, SP days in the past 30 days, and multiple sociodemographic and individual-level characteristics (covariates). Changes over time in AU as a function of NLE, SP, and their interaction (NLExSP) were examined with a set of partially nested growth curve models. AU increased non-linearly over time in all models. The fully adjusted best-fitting model showed significant NLExSP interactions (estimate = -0.013, 95% CI [-0.02, -0.006]), such that the initial AUDIT-C scores were lower for high-NLE adolescents with high SP and greater for high-NLE adolescents with low SP. Further, linear increases in AU over time were marginally steeper for high-NLE adolescents with high SP (NLExSPxTime estimate = 0.034, 95% CI [-0.0002, 0.007]). Thus, SP appeared to have a protective role in reducing AU for high-NLE youth primarily during middle school years. Prevention efforts thus may utilize organized sports for youth facing family-specific NLE as a resource early on.

Methods, strategies, and incentives to increase response to mental health surveys among adolescents: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review aimed to identify effective methods to increase adolescents' response to surveys about mental health and substance use, to improve the quality of survey information. METHODS: We followed a protocol and searched for studies that compared different survey delivery modes to adolescents. Eligible studies reported response rates, mental health score variation per survey mode and participant variations in mental health scores. We searched CENTRAL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE and Scopus in May 2022, and conducted citation searches in June 2022. Two reviewers independently undertook study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessments. Following the assessment of heterogeneity, some studies were pooled using meta-analysis. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were identified, reporting six comparisons related to survey methods and strategies. Results indicate that response rates do not differ between survey modes (e.g., web versus paper-and-pencil) delivered in classroom settings. However, web surveys may yield higher response rates outside classroom settings. The largest effects on response rates were achieved using unconditional monetary incentives and obtaining passive parental consent. Survey mode influenced mental health scores in certain comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the mixed quality of the studies, the low volume for some comparisons and the limit to studies in high income countries, several effective methods and strategies to improve adolescents' response rates to mental health surveys were identified.

Commonly reported negative experiences on social media are associated with poor mental health and well-being among adolescents: results from the "LifeOnSoMe"-study.

Introduction: Cyberbullying has been extensively studied and is associated with adverse mental health outcomes in adolescents. However, adolescents may also experience a range of other negative experiences, such as name-calling, threats, exclusion, and unwanted attention or contact from others. Few studies have investigated how adolescents' mental health is affected by these relatively common and less severe types of negative experiences on social media (SOME). To assess the association between mental health outcomes and two aspects of negative experiences on SOME; unwanted attention and negative acts and exclusion. Methods: This study is based on a survey conducted in 2020/21 consisting of 3,253 Norwegian adolescents (56% female, Mage = 17 years). Eight statements about negative experiences on SOME were asked and combined into two composite measures: "Unwanted attention from others" and "Negative acts and exclusion." Dependent variables in regression models were symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression, and mental well-being. Covariates in all models included age, gender, subjective socioeconomic status, and amount of SOME-use. Results: Both "negative acts and exclusion" and "unwanted attention from others" on SOME were consistently positively associated with self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, and negatively associated with mental well-being in both crude and adjusted analysis. Discussion: The results are indicative of an important relationship between experiencing negative events on SOME, even presumably less severe events, and worse mental health and well-being. Future research should extricate the potential causal relationship between negative experiences on SOME and mental health, as well as exploring potential precipitating and intermediating factors.

Norwegian adolescents' use of energy drinks and painkillers and misuse of prescription drugs prior to and during the initial COVID-19 pandemic year: Evidence from the MyLife study.

AIMS: This study aimed to examine and compare the use of energy drinks, over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers and misuse of prescription drugs in two cohorts of Norwegian adolescents entering high school (i.e. grade 11) immediately prior to and during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Accelerated longitudinal design and multi-cohort sampling enabled identification of the two socio-demographically comparable cohorts of grade 11 students: (a) COVID-19 cohort assessed in the autumn of 2020 (n=915) and (b) pre-COVID-19 cohort assessed in the autumn of 2018/19 (n=1621). Unadjusted and adjusted logistic and Poisson models were used to estimate the proportion of (mis)users and use frequencies among (mis)users in two cohorts. RESULTS: Energy drinks use was both more common in the COVID-19 cohort (60.8% vs. 52.5%; adjusted odds ratio=1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-1.66, p<0.001) and more frequent among users from this cohort than among their pre-COVID-19 counterparts (9.58 vs. 7.79 days past month, adjusted incidence risk ratio (aIRR)=1.23, 95% CI 1.14-1.32, p<0.001). No cohort differences were observed in OTC painkillers use. Prescription drugs misuse was equally common in the two cohorts but was more frequent among misusers from the COVID-19 cohort than among their pre-COVID-19 counterparts (18.94 vs. 12.45 times past year, aIRR=1.52, 95% CI 1.10-2.10, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Norwegian adolescents from the COVID-19 cohort were more likely to use energy drinks and, once engaged in these behaviours, to use energy drinks and misuse prescription drugs more frequently than their pre-COVID-19 counterparts.

Negative experiences, social exclusion and unwanted attention on social media: exploring the association with adolescent alcohol use.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents' presence on Social Media (SoMe) facilitates peer connections making them susceptible to peer-influences and approval. Negative experiences on SoMe can affect adolescent stress and wellbeing, impelling their use of alcohol. This paper provides a novel understanding of the relationship between negative experiences on SoMe and key indicators of alcohol use in adolescents. METHODS: Data was collected from upper secondary school students (n = 3528, ages 16-19, 45% boys) in Bergen (Norway) using a web-based questionnaire during school-hours in 2020 and 2021. Dependent variables were alcohol consumption, binge drinking and scoring ≥ 2 points on the CRAFFT instrument screening for substance use problems in adolescents. Independent variables were two scales indicating "negative acts and exclusion" and "unwanted attention from others". Covariates included age, gender, country of birth and subjective socioeconomic status. Results are presented as relative risk ratios (RRR), odds ratios (OR) and incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Using multinomial logistic regression models, "negative acts and exclusion" and "unwanted attention" were positively associated with trying alcohol (OR: 1.50 (95% CI 1.28-1.76) and 1.86 (95% CI 1.66-2.09) respectively, both p ≤ 0.001), with frequency and amount of alcohol consumed. Findings from logistic regression models indicated that "negative acts and exclusion" and "unwanted attention" were positively associated with i. CRAFFT-caseness (OR: 2.13 and 1.86) and ii. frequent binge drinking (OR: 1.55 and 1.89). CONCLUSION: Both exclusion and unwanted attention on SoMe were associated with indicators of problematic drinking, including frequency, quantity, and consequences related to alcohol.

Energy drinks and alcohol use among adolescents: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use is a leading cause of reduced health among young people. Consumption of energy drinks might be a risk factor for alcohol use. The aim of this study was to examine if more frequent consumption of energy drinks in early adolescence was associated with higher concurrent alcohol consumption, and with stronger increase in alcohol use throughout adolescence. METHODS: The data came from MyLife, a longitudinal study where Norwegian adolescents completed e-questionnaires in the autumn of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The participants were a nationwide sample of 2916 adolescents (mean age: 14.25 [SD = 0.85], 56% girls). At baseline, adolescents self-reported how often they had consumed energy drinks over the past month, a range of family factors, individual characteristics, and substance use. Self-reports of alcohol use (frequency, usual quantity, and frequency of consuming five or more units) were collected at all five assessments and combined into continuous variables. RESULTS: The results of fully adjusted growth curve models indicate that more frequent consumption of energy drinks at baseline was associated with greater concurrent alcohol use (p < .001), and greater increase in alcohol use over time (p < .05). The effect of energy drinks on concurrent alcohol use was stronger for girls, but the effect on increase over time was stronger for boys. CONCLUSION: Consumption of energy drinks in early adolescence is associated with more alcohol use throughout adolescence, but the effect size was rather modest in this sample of Norwegian adolescents.

Adolescents' Alcohol Use and Related Expectancies before and during the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the Nationwide MyLife Study.

INTRODUCTION: We examined a range of alcohol use indicators among Norwegian adolescents before and during the early COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We examined two cohorts of Norwegian 16-year-olds from the nationwide MyLife study who entered high school in fall 2020 (i.e., COVID-19 pandemic cohort; n = 915) and fall 2019/18 (i.e., prepandemic cohort; n = 1,621). Through e-surveys, adolescents reported their past year drinking frequencies and quantities (generating the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise; AUDIT-C scores) and completed Social Facilitation (SF) and Tension Reduction (TR) subscales of the Alcohol Outcome Expectancies Scale. Cohort differences across these outcomes were examined with linear and modified Poisson regression models. RESULTS: There were no cohort differences in the proportion of adolescents who reported drinking in the past year or in drinking/binge drinking frequencies. However, alcohol quantities consumed on a typical drinking day were 1/3 of a drink greater in the COVID-19 cohort than in the prepandemic cohort; aIRR (95% CI) = 1.13 (1.02-1.25). These consumption differences compounded into significantly greater AUDIT-C scores (aIRR [95% CI] = 1.16 [1.02-1.32]) and positive AUDIT-C screens (31.2% vs. 26.4%; aRR [95% CI] = 1.21 [1.07-1.36]) in the COVID-19 cohort. In terms of alcohol-related expectancies, there were no SF differences, but the COVID-19 cohort reported significantly greater TR expectancies; b (95% CI) = 0.11 (0.02-0.20). CONCLUSION: Despite the 2020 lockdown, Norwegian adolescents who started high school during the first pandemic year did not differ from their prepandemic peers in terms of how many of them drank, how often they drank, or in prosocial expectations they had of alcohol use. However, they consumed greater alcohol quantities per drinking day, had greater AUDIT-C scores, and reported greater tension reduction expectations of alcohol use. These results underscore the value of examining adolescents' alcohol-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic above and beyond the basic drinking prevalence and frequencies.

Sports participation and alcohol use revisited: A longitudinal study of Norwegian postmillennial adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Recent developments in health behavior among adolescents may have been accompanied by changes in risk factors for alcohol use. Focusing on postmillennial cohorts of adolescents, we revisit the question of whether sports participation is a risk factor for alcohol use. METHOD: This study analyses data from four waves (2017-2020) of the MyLife longitudinal study. Participants were 3425 (45% boys) Norwegian adolescents attending middle school in 2017 (age range: 12-15 years). Annual questionnaire assessments included questions about frequency of sports practice, frequency of alcohol use/heavy episodic drinking, parental cohabitation, unstructured leisure time, sensation-seeking, and behavioral problems. We employed growth curve models (N = 2682) and fixed effects models (N = 3131). RESULTS: Overall, we did not find systematic differences in initial alcohol use or development over time according to sports practice frequency at the first assessment. However, adolescents with the highest initial sports frequency had slightly lower initial alcohol use and a steeper increase (initial use: b = -0.06, p = .351; linear slope: b = -0.12, p = .218; quadratic curvature: b = 0.09, p = .004). There was no, or only a weak negative, association between change in sports practice and change in alcohol use after adjusting for potential time-varying confounders, b = -0.03, p = .065. CONCLUSION: Contrary to most previous research, we found little evidence for an association between sports participation and alcohol use among Norwegian adolescents born after 2000. Sports activities might not require particular attention in the prevention of alcohol use.

Time spent on social media and alcohol use among adolescents: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Research into the association between use of social media (SoMe) and alcohol use among adolescents is still in its infancy. The aim of the current longitudinal study was to examine if time spent on SoMe was prospectively associated with alcohol use among adolescents, and whether these associations differed for boys and girls. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study among Norwegian adolescents who completed e-questionnaires in the autumn of 2017 (t1), 2018 (t2), 2019 (t3) and 2020 (t4). SETTING: Norway. PARTICIPANTS: A nation-wide sample of N = 3096 adolescents (mean age at t1: 14.3 years (SD = 0.85), 43% boys). MEASUREMENTS: Self-report data were collected on adolescents' alcohol use, time spent on SoMe, parental monitoring, sensation-seeking, and positive and negative urgency, gender, and age. FINDINGS: Latent growth modelling adjusted for time invariant covariates (i.e., parental monitoring, sensation-seeking, and positive and negative urgency at t1) showed a positive association between time spent on SoMe and alcohol use at the start of the study; standardized b (ß) = 0.17 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.26). Time spent on SoMe at t1 was a strong positive predictor of increase in alcohol use ß = 0.31 (95% CI: 0.23, 0.40). There was also an association between degree of increase in alcohol use and increase in time on SoMe, ß = 0.14 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.24). Subsequent multigroup analysis found little evidence for gender differences (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The more time Norwegian adolescents aged 13-15 years spend on SoMe, the greater is their subsequent increase in alcohol use over time.

Adolescents' Use of Nicotine-Free and Nicotine E-Cigarettes: A Longitudinal Study of Vaping Transitions and Vaper Characteristics.

INTRODUCTION: Although adolescents' nicotine addiction from e-cigarettes is a concern, few studies differentiate between vaping with and without nicotine. This study examines the prevalence of nicotine and nicotine-free vaping, maps transitions between vaping behaviors, and assesses differences in the personal characteristics of vapers in a sample of Norwegian adolescents. AIMS AND METHODS: Data came from a nationwide longitudinal study of adolescents (n = 2018) conducted in 2017 (T1), 2018 (T2), and 2019 (T3) (mean age: 14.2, 15.0, and 16.2). Using an online questionnaire, we measured vaping with and without nicotine, snus use, smoking, sensation-seeking, conduct problems, and levels of depression. RESULTS: Past 12-month vaping prevalence was stable (12%, 13%, and 15%). Among adolescents reporting vaping at T1, 66% had used e-cigarettes without nicotine, 22% with nicotine, and 12% were unsure of nicotine content. Individual vaping trajectories were unstable: of nicotine-free vapers, 54% became non-users, while 14% became nicotine vapers from T1 to T2. From T2 to T3, 50% became non-users, while 17% became nicotine vapers. Of nicotine vapers, 39% became non-users from T1 to T2, while 46% became non-users from T2 to T3. Compared to nicotine-free vapers, nicotine vapers had more conduct problems (mean = 3.67 vs 2.17), had more symptoms of depression (mean = 11.38 vs 6.95), and comprised more past 30-day snus users (33% vs 14%) and cigarette users (33% vs 9%). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent vapers most commonly used e-cigarettes without nicotine, few of these transitioned into nicotine vaping, and a majority became non-users. Nicotine vapers were more likely to use other tobacco products and have more conduct problems and symptoms of depression compared to nicotine-free vapers. IMPLICATIONS: Reporting the prevalence of nicotine-free vaping is critical for assessing nicotine exposure and subsequent risks of nicotine addiction. This multi-cohort longitudinal study showed that use of nicotine-free e-cigarettes is common among young vapers in Norway. Adolescents' vaping patterns-both with and without nicotine-are generally temporal and experimental. Despite the majority of nicotine vapers becoming non-users, they are characterized by having more conduct problems and poorer mental health, and they more often used other tobacco products.

Self-reported Mental and Physical Health Among Norwegian Adolescents Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting conditions may negatively affect adolescents. Objective: To examine aspects of self-reported mental and physical health among adolescents in Norway before and during the pandemic, including the role of pandemic-associated anxiety. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study examined a diverse nationwide sample of grade 11 students from the longitudinal MyLife study in Norway. The original study recruitment of all 8th, 9th, and 10th graders from the same middle schools facilitated identification of 2 sociodemographically comparable cohorts assessed in October to December 2018 and 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and October to December 2020, during the pandemic. School entry and enrollment in Norway is determined by the birth year, and students usually start high school (11th grade) during the fall of the year of their 16th birthday. Data were analyzed from March to June 2021. Exposures: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated conditions in Norway. Main Outcomes and Measures: In grades 10 and 11, adolescents reported their depression symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (cutoff scores for moderate/severe depression, ≥15), number of close friends, physical health, and organized sports participation. Cohort differences were examined with a set of nested regression models, incrementally controlling for sociodemographic covariates and grade 10 outcomes. Results: A sample of 2536 adolescents (1505 [59.4%] girls) was analyzed, including 1621 adolescents before the pandemic and 915 adolescents during the pandemic, of whom 158 adolescents (17.3%) reported high pandemic anxiety. The only significant difference in outcomes between the COVID-19 cohort and the pre-COVID-19 cohort were lower odds of organized sports participation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.69; 95% CI, 0.56-0.87). However, in subanalyses comparing adolescents with high anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic with adolescents in the pre-COVID-19 cohort, adolescents with high pandemic anxiety were more likely to experience clinical-level depression symptoms (aOR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.39-3.37) and poor physical health (aOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.01-2.31). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of Norwegian adolescents, adolescents who started high school during the pandemic year had lower odds of organized sports participation in late 2020, but were otherwise comparable in terms of self-reported mental and physical health with their pre-COVID-19 counterparts. However, adolescents in the COVID-19 cohort experiencing high pandemic-related anxiety had significantly greater odds of poorer mental and physical health than adolescents in the pre-COVID-19 cohort. Strategies aiming to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 may benefit from identifying youth disproportionally affected by the pandemic conditions.

Alcohol's Harm to Others: Does the Drinking Location Matter?

BACKGROUND: In order to curb alcohol's harm to others, it is important to identify the contexts where people experience such harm. Objectives: To examine whether frequency of drinking in four different locations was associated with increased likelihood of experiencing harm from others' drinking. Methods: Data stem from surveys conducted in the five Nordic countries in 2015 (N = 7065, aged 18-64 years) as part of the European Union's Joint Action on Reducing Alcohol Related Harm (RARHA). Three types of harm from others' drinking in the past 12 months were measured: verbally abused by, harmed physically by, and experienced a serious argument with someone who had been drinking. Respondents also reported frequency of drinking in their own home, in others' homes, in a pub/bar/club/restaurant, and outdoors the past 12 months. Results: Country-pooled adjusted analyses showed that higher frequency of drinking in pubs/bars/clubs/restaurants, outdoors and in someone else's home was associated with increased likelihood of experiencing all three harms. Frequent drinking in one's own home was weakly associated with experience of harm. Women, young individuals, respondents without tertiary level of education and individuals who reported drinking almost daily were at increased risk of experiencing harm from others' drinking. Conclusions: Frequent drinking on licensed premises and outdoors was most clearly associated with experiencing harm from others' drinking, suggesting that these are important arenas for preventive efforts. Women, young individuals, those with low educational level and the most frequent drinkers are important target groups for preventive efforts.

Alcohol-related problems among college and university students in Norway: extent of the problem.

Aims: The aim of the current study was to provide estimates of the distribution of alcohol-related problems in a large sample of college and university students. We also sought to examine trends in the distribution of alcohol-related problems from 2010 to 2018. Methods: Data stem from a recent national health survey from 2018 for higher education in Norway (the SHoT study) in which 50,054 full-time students (69.1% women; 30.9% men) aged 18-35 years participated. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess potential alcohol-related problems. Data on demographic characteristics were also collected. Results: More than half of the male students (52.8%) and 4 out of 10 of the female students (40.1%) reported risky, harmful or dependent alcohol use. Compared to women, men had an increased risk of risky alcohol use (relative risk ratio (RRR) = 1.57), harmful alcohol use (RRR = 2.45) and dependent alcohol use (RRR = 2.73). Younger students had higher rates of risky and harmful alcohol use compared with older students, while rates of dependent alcohol use were similar across the age span. Several demographic variables were associated with alcohol use. The trend analyses revealed that the rates of risky, harmful and dependent alcohol use, as well as mean AUDIT scores, among the students have remained relatively stable over the past 8 years. Conclusions: Alcohol use remains an important health concern among Norwegian college and university students, and the present study confirms the high rates of alcohol-related problems, and the need to address the issue within this population.

Adolescent income and binge drinking initiation: prospective evidence from the MyLife study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: No previous studies have examined the prospective association between disposable income and binge-drinking initiation among adolescents. We aimed to examine whether there is such an association and, if so, whether it is robust to confounders, uniform across individual characteristics and linear versus non-linear. DESIGN: Prospective study of adolescents from 32 middle schools, stratified according to geographic location, urban and rural locations and standard of living. Adolescents were assessed in 2017 (T1) and 1 year later (T2). SETTING: Norway. PARTICIPANTS: A nation-wide sample of 1845 adolescents (mean age 13.5 years, 44% boys) with no binge-drinking experience at T1. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected on binge drinking at T1 and T2. Data on disposable income and on a range of demographic, individual and family factors were collected at T1. FINDINGS: Overall, 7.2% initiated binge drinking between T1 and T2. Logistic regression showed that the crude linear effect of disposable income on binge drinking initiation was substantial, and only slightly attenuated in the fully adjusted model including all putative confounders [odds ratio (OR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08, 1.31, P < 0.001]. However, interaction analyses showed disposable income to be negatively related to binge drinking initiation for adolescents who had experienced light drinking at T1 (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.49, 0.89, P = 0.006) or who had seen their mothers intoxicated [OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.39, 0.99, P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: Norwegian adolescents with higher disposable income have a greater risk of subsequent binge drinking initiation than those with lower disposable income. Each additional 100 NOK (≈ €10) of weekly income increased the risk of binge drinking initiation in the following year by approximately 20%.

Monitoring young lifestyles (MyLife) - a prospective longitudinal quantitative and qualitative study of youth development and substance use in Norway.

PURPOSE: The Monitoring Young Lifestyles (MyLife) project was initiated as an integrated quantitative and qualitative prospective investigation of correlates, causes, and consequences of adolescent substance use and other addictive behaviours in Norway. PARTICIPANTS: The MyLife cohort was recruited from middle schools in Norway, which were selected from low, medium and high standard of living areas in both rural and urban regions of the country. A total of 3512 eighth, ninth and tenth graders (55% girls) from 33 schools were enrolled in the quantitative project arm (QT), while a total of 120 eighth graders (52% girls) from six schools were enrolled in the qualitative project arm (QL). FINDINGS TO DATE: QT baseline was conducted in the fall of 2017, when 2975 adolescents completed an online questionnaire at school during a regular class time. A total of 2857 adolescents participated in the first QT follow-up 1 year later. QL baseline was conducted across the fall semesters of 2014 (one class) and 2015 (five classes), when a total of 118 eighth graders completed face-to-face interviews. QL follow-ups were conducted in the spring of 2015 and fall of 2017 (n=98) for group interviews, and in the spring of 2017 and 2018 (n=95) for individual interviews. In terms of additional data sources, a total of 3035 parents consented to own participation, of which 1899 completed a brief online questionnaire at QT baseline in late 2017. School principals completed brief surveys at the same time. FUTURE PLANS: Both QT and QL arms have planned follow-ups through 2021. Consents were obtained for individual-level linkages of adolescent and parental quantitative surveys to each other, as well as to the information available in multiple national registries and databases. These supplemental data sources will provide key information on additional putative exposures as well as on the long-term health, educational, and social outcomes of the MyLife participants.

Increase in time spent on social media is associated with modest increase in depression, conduct problems, and episodic heavy drinking.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent use of social media has been linked to a range of negative outcomes, but it is still unclear whether the associations are spurious. To address this issue, we examined if within-individual change in time spent on social media was associated with within-individual changes in depression, conduct problems, and episodic heavy drinking in a sample of adolescents using first-differencing models (FD-models). METHODS: A sample of 763 Norwegian adolescents (45.1% boys; mean age 15.22 years, standard deviation 1.44) completed two questionnaires 6-months apart. The associations between changes in time spent on social media and symptoms of depression, conduct problems, and frequency of episodic heavy drinking were estimated using FD-models, a statistical technique that effectively controls for all time-invariant individual factors. We also accounted for three time-variant putative confounders: frequency of sports practice, frequency of unsupervised leisure activities, and peer relationship problems. RESULTS: Increases in time spent on social media were associated with increases in symptoms of depression (b = 0.13 [95% CI: 0.01, 0.24], p = 0.038), increases in conduct problems (b = 0.07 [95% CI: 0.02, 0.10], p = 0.007), and increases in episodic heavy drinking (b = 0.10 [95% CI: 0.06, 0.15], p < 0.001), after adjusting for changes in the three hypothesized confounders. The effect-sizes for these relationships were, however, quite modest. CONCLUSION: Increased time spent on social media was modestly related to increases in depression, conduct problems, as well as frequency of episodic heavy drinking among adolescents.

Adolescents drink less: How, who and why? A review of the recent research literature.

ISSUES: Today's teenagers have been described as a sober generation and we asked: 'What is known about the recent decline in youth drinking?' APPROACH: A literature review (2005-2017). KEY FINDINGS: Research from wealthier parts of the world provides solid evidence of less alcohol use by youth since the millennium shift. Some studies show that this is reflected at all levels of consumption, but there are also indications that the heaviest drinkers have not reduced their drinking. The decrease is predominately seen in underage youth, and has been larger for boys than for girls in several countries. Teenagers across social strata drink less, but some disadvantaged subgroups have not followed the downward trend. Underage drinkers have apparently not become a more deviant group as the prevalence of drinking has dropped, indicating no hardening of the group. The major gap in the literature pertains to the issue of underlying driving forces. We found no evidence in support of the widespread assumption that the digital revolution has been of importance. A decline in parenting practices that are conductive to underage drinking has occurred in several countries, but studies examining whether these changes have contributed to less alcohol use by youth are almost non-existent. IMPLICATIONS: To inform alcohol policy and prevention, it is imperative to find out why teenage drinking has decreased in a fairly consistent way across numerous countries. CONCLUSION: Future research into the issue of falling prevalence rates of youth drinking should focus on possible explanatory factors at the population level rather than at the individual level.

Latent developmental trajectories of episodic heavy drinking from adolescence to early adulthood: Predictors of trajectory groups and alcohol problems in early adulthood as outcome.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: To identify latent developmental episodic heavy drinking (EHD) trajectory groups for Norwegian adolescents, investigate risk factors associated with group membership and to assess differences in alcohol problems between different groups in early adulthood. DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were from 1266 individuals measured at four time points from age 13/14 years to age 26/27 years. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify groups with different EHD development. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigated if gender, impulsivity, school commitment, parents' socio-economic status, frequency of seeing parents drunk and parental knowledge could predict group membership. Differences in alcohol problem scores at age 26/27 were also assessed. RESULTS: Four trajectory groups were identified: 'stable high', 'early increasers', 'late increasers' and 'stable low'. Membership of the high-risk trajectory groups 'stable high' and 'early increasers' was predicted by high impulsivity, low school commitment, high frequency of seeing parents drunk and low parental knowledge. The risk of alcohol problems at age 26/27 was greater for the 'stable high' group, the 'early increasers' and the 'late increasers' compared with the 'stable low' group. The 'stable high' and 'early increasers' had similar risk of alcohol problems. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Stable high and early increasing EHD in adolescence was associated with more alcohol problems in early adulthood. Such trajectories were predicted by high impulsivity, low school commitment, high frequency of seeing parents drunk and low parental knowledge. [Brunborg GS, Norström T, Storvoll EE. Latent developmental trajectories of episodic heavy drinking from adolescence to early adulthood: Predictors of trajectory groups and alcohol problems in early adulthood as outcome.

Social Media Use and Episodic Heavy Drinking Among Adolescents.

Objectives Little is known about the consequences of adolescent social media use. The current study estimated the association between the amount of time adolescents spend on social media and the risk of episodic heavy drinking. Methods A school-based self-report cross-sectional study including 851 Norwegian middle and high school students (46.1% boys). MEASURES: frequency and quantity of social media use. Frequency of drinking four or six (girls and boys, respectively) alcoholic drinks during a single day (episodic heavy drinking). The MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale - Brief, the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items for Adolescents, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Peer Relationship problems scale, gender, and school grade. Results Greater amount of time spent on social media was associated with greater likelihood of episodic heavy drinking among adolescents ( OR = 1.12, 95% CI (1.05, 1.19), p = 0.001), even after adjusting for school grade, impulsivity, sensation seeking, symptoms of depression, and peer relationship problems. Conclusion The results from the current study indicate that more time spent on social media is related to greater likelihood of episodic heavy drinking among adolescents.